Cocoanut-piercer.



G. W. MOHRSTADT. cocoANuT MERCER. APPLICATION FQLED 'lAN- 4| i916.

Patented May16,1916.

T FFQE.'

GUST'AV W. MOHRSTADT, OF BARTLE ORIENTE, CUBA.

COCOANUT-PIERCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed January 4, 1916. Serial No. 70,327'.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUsTAv 1V. MonnsTADT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Bartle Oriente, Cuba7 have invented new and useful Improvements in Cocoanut-Piercers, of which the following` is a specification.

This invention relates to devices especially adapted to be used for piercing cocoanuts lo in order to extract the fluid or juice therefrom and it co-nsists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated which is of simple and durable structure and which may be applied to a table top or other suitable support and can be conveniently7 used for opening a perforation in the shell of a nut for the purpose of draining or removing the contents thereof.

The piercer comprises a standard mounted upon a base and which may be attached to a suitable support by means of screws or other securing devices. Upstanding prongs are mounted upon the said base and a knife is mounted at one edge thereof. A lever is fulcrumed at the upper end of the standard and a tubular piercing implement is pivotally connected with the lever at a point between the ends thereof. Links are pivotally connected at one end with the standard and at their other ends with the said piercing implement and cause the implement to move in a line parallel with the vertical length of the standard when the link is swung. A resilient catch member is mounted upon the standard and is engageable in notches provided at the pivoted end of the lever whereby the swinging movement of the lever may be limited and also the end portion of the lever may be held at an elevated position. j

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cocoanut piercer. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the base `of the same showing the standard thereof `in section. Fig. t is a perspective view of a link used thereon.

50 l The piercing device includes a base 1 which may be mounted upon a table proper or other suitable support and secured thereto by means of screws 2 or other suitable securing devices which pass transversely 55 through the said base and enter the support upon which it is mounted. Upstanding spaced prongs 3 are mounted at the upper surface of the base 1 and a knife blade et is attached to the edge of the said base and 1s secured by means of screws or other suitable securing devices. A standard 5 is mounted upon the base 1 and is preferably integrally joined with the same. The standard 5 is provided at its sides with strengthening or bracing ribs 6 which are disposed longitudinally of the said standard.

A lever 7 is fulcrumed at the upper end of the standard 5 and the said lever is preferably formed from a strip of sheet metal which is twisted at the point S thereby providing a fiat and approximately horizontal handle 9 at the free end portion of the said lever. The lever 7 is provided at apoint between its ends with a laterally disposed bowed section 10 and a clip member 11 bridges the said bowed section and is secured at its ends to the sides of the lever beyond the ends of the said bowed section.

A tubular piercing implement 12 is pivotally connected at its upper portion by means of screws 13 or other suitable pivots with the bowed section 10 of the lever 7 and the intermediate portion of the clip 11. The piercing' implement 12 is open from end to end. Links 1-1 are pivotally connected at one end with the upper portion of the standard 5 and are disposed at the opposite sides of the said standard and the other ends of the links 14 are pivotally connected with the piercing' implement 12 at a point below the4 lever 7. The median long dimensions of the links 14 are parallel with the median long dimensions of the lever 7 and the points of pivotal connection between the links 14 and the standard 5 and piercing implement 12 are at the same distance apart as at the points of pivotal connection between the lever 7, the standard 5 and the lever 7 and the piercing implement 12. Consequently, when the free end portion of the lever 7 is swung7 the piercing implement 12 is moved in a line parallel with the median long dimension of the standard 5.

The lever 7 is provided at that end which is'joined with the standard 5 `with a series of notches 15 and a resilient member 16 is attached to the standard 5 and isprovided at its free end with a lug 17 adapted to enter the nothes 15 of the lever 7 whereby the said lever may be held at an adjusted position with relation to the standard 5. Furthermore, during the swinging movement of the lever 7, the shoulder 17 of the resilient member 16 may enter one of the notches 15 as the lever is being swung and thus limit the swinging movement of the lever with relation to the standard: 5, whereby ithe piercing implement 12 is prevented from crushing the nut which is interposed between the said implement and the base 1 of the device. A shaft 18 is turnably mounted in the upper portion of the standard 5 and the said shaft is provided at one end with a laterally disposed section 19 which may be used as a handle for turning the said shaft. The shaft 18 is provided with a flattened surface 20 which normally lies against the inner surface of the resilient member 16 'at a point between the ends thereof. When the shaft 18 is turned by using the handle 19, the edges of the flattened surface 2O bear against'the inner surface of the resilient member 16 and force the shoulder 17 thereof out of engagement with either one of the notches 15 in which it may be located.

In operation, the end portion of a cocoanut is placed over the cutting edge of the knife 4 and the nut is moved in a downward direction whereby the crown of the nut is separated or severed from the body thereof. The nut is then placed with one end upon the upper end of the prong 3 and its other end below the lower end of the piercing implement 12. The lever 7 is then swung in a downward direction wherebyT the lower end of the piercing implement 12 enters the nut and opens a perforation in the same through which the contents of the nut may be forced from the same when the nut is removed from the device. The portion of the nut which is cut from the body thereof remains in the interior of the piercing implement 12 and as each succeeding section is removed from the nut, the sections force each other in an upward direction along the piercing implement 12 and eventually are ejected upon the upper end of the said implement. In View of the fact that the implement 12 is constrained to move in a line parallel with the long dimensions of the standard 5, said piercing implement 12 as it enters the nut will not have a tendency to split or crack the same but will remove the section from the nut by a clean cut inasmuch as the movement of the said piercing member 12 is in alinement with the median long dimension of the nut.

After the free end of the lever 7 has been Copies of this patent may be obtained for depressed, the shoulder 17 of the resilient member 16 enters one of the notches 15 whereby the swinging movement of the said lever is arrested and thus Vthe piercing member 12 is prevented from entering through the shell to the nut and breaking or fracturing the same. Vhen it is desired to remove the nut from under the lever 7, the shaft 18 is turned whereby one edge of the flattened surface 2O thereof is interposed between the center of the shaft and the intermediate portion of the resilient member 16 whereby the free end portion of the said resilient mem` ber is moved away from the pivoted end of the lever 7 and the shoulder 17 upon the said resilient member is carried out of contact with that notch 15 in the lever 7 in which it has been in engagement. The lever 7 is then freed so that its free end may be swung in an upward direction and consequently the piercing implement 12 is carried above the upper end of the nut and the nut may be removed from the upper end of the prongs 3 and the contents forced from the shell of the nut.

From the above description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that a device of simple and durable structure is provided and that the same may be easily and conveniently used for piercing the shell of a cocoanut in order to open a perforation in the same through which the contents of the nut may be forced from the shell.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A device for piercing nuts and the like comprising a standard, a lever pivoted to the standard, a piercing implement pivotally connected with the lever, a link at one end of the standard and at its other end to the said piercing implement, said lever having at that end which is joined with the standard a series of notches, a resilient member attached to the standard and having at its free end a shoulder adapted to engage the notches, a shaft turnably mounted in the standard and having a flat surface which normally lies against the inner surface of the said resilient member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

i GUSTAV W. MOHRSTADT.

Witnesses:

F. Gr. KEZAR, J. E. ROBERTS.

ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. p Y 

